Dress

Dress of glazed block-printed cotton dating to the 1780s. The pattern of this British-made cotton has probably been copied from one used in Jouy in France. However, it is not supposed to look French, but Indian. From the 17th century, the East India Company imported large quantities of Indian dyed cottons and plain muslins to Britain. Laws were passed to limit these exports, as they were putting British textile industry workers out of business. The government began to tax the imported cloth heavily and India was compelled to export raw cotton instead. British factories then made it into cloth which they sold back to India. As a result, many Indian workers and craftsmen lost their jobs. Protectionist legislation in favour of Britain remained in force until 1925. The English origin of the fabric is confirmed by the blue threads in the salvage.

The construction style of the dress suggests a date of c. 1785. The sleeves are a little longer than elbow length; the front edges of skirt curve; the front neckline is a low v-shape, the back is a shallower v-shape; the front neckline has a drawstring. The bodice centre and side back seams are boned; there is a placket sewn inside the bodice front edges with worked eyelets and boning in the front edges; a narrow band sits over the front waistline, hooking together at the front with a metal hook and eye. The skirt panels are joined with small running stitches; the bodice side seams are sewn with small whip stitches – on both outer and lining layers. The rest of the bodice seams are finished before joining together with small backstitches very close to the finished edges. The sleeves are set in and backstitched all the way round, the edges have been left unfinished. The skirt is mounted to the bodice with running stitches; the front edges of the dress skirt are finished with a double fold in the fabric and small running stitches; the hem is finished with a narrow linen tape facing that is sewn with tiny fell stitches along both edges. The sleeve seams are sewn with small back stitches with the outer and lining fabrics worked as one. The sleeves are cut in one piece with a dart at the bottom to create the curve over the elbow.

This dress may have originally been made in the late 1780s/early 1790s and altered around the turn of the 19th century – the bodice is longer than appears on the outside, the skirt may have been raised; the sleeves are pieced at the lower edges – either to lengthen them slightly or straighten the line.The metal hook and eye seem unlikely to be original; there is also a soiled crease line several inches above the current hemline that strongly suggests the original hem was let down. The possible alterations have been generally worked quite carefully and neatly. (Construction notes adapted from Carolyn Dowdell's.)